Storm Could Dump Up to a Foot of Snow Across Plains States
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A major winter storm could blanket a large section of the Plains with up to a foot of snow at the start of this week. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for an area stretching from north-central Kansas across southeast Nebraska and into southern Iowa. The snow was expected to begin early today (MON) and continue throughout the day. Most of the region is expected to receive at least six inches of now, but the heaviest snow is predicted to fall on an area starting around Salina and Concordia, Kansas, and continuing northeast to around Des Moines, Iowa.
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KPR Stations in Eastern Kansas Icing Over, Affecting Power and Coverage Area
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - As wintry weather moves through eastern Kansas, Kansas Public Radio's transmitters and broadcast towers are getting iced over. KPR's Director of Engineering, Steve Kincaid, said late this (MON) morning that KANV FM 91.3 in Junction City - and KPR's two translator stations in Manhattan - were starting to ice up. This will affect power levels, decreasing the coverage area of KPR stations (frequencies) in the Junction City and Manhattan areas. The wintry weather is not expected to improve until sometime Thursday.
Fort Riley Operates with Minimal Staffing, Limited Services as Winter Storm Moves Through
FORT RILEY, Kan. (KPR) – Fort Riley is operating with minimal staffing and limited services today (MON), as a winter storm moves through the area. Irwin Army Community Hospital will conduct normal operations, including COVID vaccinations, testing and other activities. The Post Exchange and Commissary will be closed. All MWR facilities, including Fitness Centers and Child Development Centers, and Child and Youth Services programs will closed. More information is available on Fort Riley's Facebook page.
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Topeka Prison Reports 89 Virus Cases, Leading State Hotspots
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — At least 89 coronavirus cases have been reported at the Topeka Correctional Facility since January 8 to make the prison the largest current hotspot in the state. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says no other school, day care, long-term care facility, business, sport or religious gathering had as many coronavirus cases as the Topeka prison had in the past two weeks. The next largest outbreaks in the state were reported at two long-term care facilities that each reported 25 cases.
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Demand Surges as Kansas Opens Up Vaccine to Second Group
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is seeing demand for the coronavirus vaccine surge as it moves beyond vaccinating health care workers and long-term care residents. The state is leaving it up to county health departments to determine how to distribute the vaccine to those in the second phase. The Kansas Association of Local Health Departments conducted a survey that found nearly three-quarters of health departments planned to tier residents in the second phase, with the remainder leaving everyone on equal footing. Many health officials noted in a comment section that they planned to focus on residents that were 65 and older. But others were prioritizing teachers, law enforcement officers and essential workers.
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Experts: Vaccine Campaign Needs to Speed Up in Missouri
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Health experts say Missouri isn’t vaccinating people quickly enough to create widespread immunity by this summer. To reach that goal, officials want to inoculate between 70% and 85% of the state’s residents. That means getting between 4.3 million and 5.2 million people immunized. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that just 205,000 Missourians have received the first dose of vaccine. BJC HealthCare’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Clay Dunagan estimates that vaccinating 5 million residents by the end of June would require 25,000 to 30,000 vaccinations per day. Over the past week, Missouri has been averaging almost 11,000 per day,
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Confirmed Virus Cases Increasing Among Missouri Lawmakers
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases among Missouri lawmakers is continuing to grow. At least four more lawmakers told The Associated Press on Friday that they had contracted COVID-19 since the session began on January 6. That's in addition to three others previously reported. The House canceled all work this week because of the virus outbreak. But the Senate remained in session. One of those who tested positive is Senator Andrew Koenig. He had presented a bill to a Senate committee on Wednesday that would crack down on public health orders limiting crowd sizes in homes, businesses and places of worship.
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COVID-19 Caseload in Kansas Nears 270,000; Virus-Related Deaths Pass 3,600
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) reported Monday that there have been 269,255 cases of COVID-19, including 3,622 deaths, since the pandemic began. That's an increase of 2,602 cases and 24 deaths since Friday. KDHE will release another update on coronavirus case numbers on Wednesday.
- KPR's Coronavirus Information and Resources Guide
- Kansas COVID-19 Vaccination Information
- NEW: Kansas COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard
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Kansas Governor Signs Bill Extending Disaster Declaration
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Laura Kelly has signed a bill to extend the state’s disaster emergency declaration, allowing Kansas to continue to tap into resources for its pandemic response efforts. The legislation signed Monday extends the declaration to March 31. Health officials say 132,145 people, or about 4.5% of the state’s population, have received the COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday. Meanwhile, the state has added another 2,602 COVID-19 cases since Friday, pushing Kansas's pandemic total to 269,255 cases. It has reported 24 more coronavirus-related deaths since Friday, bringing the state’s death toll to at least 3,622.
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Kansas Advances Anti-Abortion Measure on Roe v. Wade Anniversary
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans have pushed a proposed anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution through the state House on the 48th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's historic decision protecting abortion rights. The measure was approved Friday on an 86-38 vote, and abortion opponents had two votes more than the two-thirds majority necessary for passage. It goes next to the Senate for debate, possibly next week. The proposal would overturn a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision declaring access to abortion a "fundamental" right under the state's Bill of Rights. The debate came on the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
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Appeals Court Upholds Convictions in Kansas Bomb Plot
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld the convictions and sentences of three militia members facing decades in prison for their roles in a foiled 2016 plot to massacre Somali Muslims in southwest Kansas. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected all the arguments raised by attorneys for Gavin Wright, Curtis Allen and Patrick Stein. The appellate court was not swayed by claims the men were entrapped and that the method of selecting jurors was flawed. Jurors convicted them in 2018 of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy against civil rights for a scheme to blow up a mosque and apartments housing Somalis in Garden City.
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Advocates Seek Law for Appeals of Adult Care Home Evictions
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Advocates for older Kansans in assisted living facilities are pushing for legislation that would allow them to appeal to the state if a facility evicts them. The Topeka Capital Journal reports that the House Children and Seniors Committee plans to have a hearing Thursday on the measure. It would allow older Kansans who've been involuntarily discharged from an adult residential care facility to appeal to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. While advocates worry about evicted residents having no recourse, a Kansas Adult Care Executives official says the measure would add more burdens to an over-regulated industry.
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Kansas Ethics Panel to Hear Campaign Finance Complaints
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ Former Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O'Donnell could be on the hook for potentially thousands of dollars in civil fines if an ethics panel this week finds he violated state campaign finance law. A complaint shows O'Donnell faces nine counts of campaign finance violations for allegedly funneling money from his campaign account to his personal checking account and to four friends he fraudulently reported as campaign workers. The Wichita Eagle reports that the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission has scheduled a hearing Wednesday in Topeka. O'Donnell could not be reached for comment Monday.
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Kansas Resident Using Lighter as Flashlight Sparks Fire
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Fire officials say a Hutchinson resident who used a lighter as a flashlight accidently lit the underside of the bed, starting a fire that heavily damaged the house. The Hutchinson News reports that firefighters responding to a call at 5:20 pm Sunday found heavy smoke and fire coming from a window on the front of the single-story home, The two adults and child who were in the home got out unharmed. Crews were able to contain the fire to the room where it started, but the two-bedroom home sustained smoke and heat damage throughout. Red Cross is helping the tenants, as the home is uninhabitable.
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Affidavit: Teen Posted Video of Setting of Kansas Mall Fire
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A court affidavit alleges a Kansas teenager posted a video on social media showing the setting of a blaze that heavily damaged a Topeka mall in December. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports a tip provided the next day to Crime Stoppers led investigators to the video posted on messaging service Snapchat. It led to the arrest of 18-year-old Joel Sink and two other youths. They face charges that include arson tied to the Dec. 29 fire that caused an estimated $100,000 in damage at the former White Lakes Mall in Topeka. Snapchat is a messaging service in which users send each other texts, photos or videos that are usually scheduled to disappear after a few seconds.
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U.S. Supreme Court Won't Hear Nevada Church's COVID-19 Case
RENO, Nev. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has refused a rural Nevada church’s request to weigh in on a legal battle over the government’s authority to limit the size of religious gatherings. The high court on Monday denied Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley's petition seeking to review the case on its merits. Attorneys general from 19 other states, including Kansas, had recently joined in support of the church east of Reno. They were urging the Supreme Court to rule on the Nevada case to help bring uniformity to various standards courts across the country have used to balance the interests of public safety and freedom of religion.
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Missouri Man Charged with Murder in Fatal January 12 Shooting
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 25-year-old Missouri man has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of a 60-year-old woman earlier this month. The Jackson County Prosecutor’s office said Travon Williams of Kansas City has been charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and two weapons charges in the January 12 shooting death of Linda Gantt. According to court documents, Williams and Gantt had been arguing before the shooting, but Gantt was riding inside a car leaving Williams’ home when she was shot. Prosecutors say Williams also forced another woman to get into a vehicle with him after he fled the shooting.
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KCK Police Investigate Man's Death
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police in Kansas City, Kansas, say they are investigating the death of a man whose body was found inside an apartment. Police say officers were sent to the apartment complex along Orville Street on Saturday morning to check on the welfare of a man. Arriving officers discovered the body of the man, believed to be in his 70s, inside the apartment. His name has not yet been released. Police say the department's Major Case Unit is investigating the death and have asked the public for any information to help in the investigation.
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Nebraska Negotiates New Contract with Troubled Kansas-Based Foster Care Contractor
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska is negotiating a new and costlier contractor with a troubled Kansas-based foster care contractor that is less than three weeks away from running out of money for operations. The Omaha World-Herald reports that St. Francis Ministries interim CEO William Clark told Nebraska lawmakers Friday that the nonprofit needs another $25 million to cover its costs for this year and about $10 million to cover a shortfall for the fiscal year that ended June 30. Dannette Smith, the CEO of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, said the state is pursuing the new agreement to maintain continuity. She promised increased state oversight, saying, "I think we learned a bitter lesson."
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Kansas House Panel to Warn New Member over Past Behavior
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A newly elected Kansas lawmaker accused of threatening two state officials and abusive behavior toward girls and young women before taking his seat will get a public warning about his past conduct. A House committee's decision Friday to send a public letter of warning to state Rep. Aaron Coleman of Kansas City, Kansas, means he won't face possible removal from office. The committee said its letter will outline expectations for Coleman's future behavior. He promised to abide by what it spells out. Coleman denied an allegation that he threatened the House's top Democrat this summer but said a post-November election tweet about Governor Laura Kelly was inappropriate.
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Doctors: Death Risk High for Ill Kansas Election Official
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Two doctors who treated a Kansas election commissioner who was fired for accessing a voter database when working from home while battling cancer say she faced a one-in-four chance or more of dying if she got COVID-19. The Wichita Eagle reports it talked to Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Tabitha Lehman’s oncologist, Dr. Dennis Moore and her infectious disease specialist, Dr. Tom Moore, with her consent. The doctors, who are brothers, said she would have been unnecessarily risking her life if she worked in the office during the election. Lehman at the time was on a very aggressive form of chemotherapy for lymphatic cancer that is now in remission.
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Sedgwick County Will Not Fight Firing of Election Official
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Sedgwick County commissioners have decided to not fight the firing of Election Commissioner Tabitha Lehman after Secretary of State Scott Schwab promised the county a role in choosing her successor. Lehman lost her job for violating a policy by remotely accessing the state's voter registration database when working from home while fighting cancer during the coronavirus pandemic. The Wichita Eagle reports commissioners complimented Lehman for conducting a nearly flawless election, but opted not to propose legislation to scale back Schwab's authority to pick the top election official in the state's four most populous counties.
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Kansas City T-Bones Renamed Monarchs as Tribute to Historic Negro Leagues' Team
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City T-Bones of the independent American Association are being renamed the Kansas City Monarchs after the team that played in the Negro Leagues. The original Monarchs were founded in 1924 and won the first Negro League World Series in 1920. The team played in the Negro National League and Negro American League and later as an independent. A museum exhibit is to travel with the team. The Monarchs also plan to establish a youth academy for baseball and softball.
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Peregrine Falcons May No Longer be Endangered in Missouri
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri officials are moving to remove peregrine falcons from the state’s endangered species list. The Missouri Conservation Commission gave initial approval Friday to the removal. The plan, however, calls keeping the bird as a species of conservation concern. Peregrine falcon populations plummeted nationwide during the 1940s through the 1960s due to the widespread use of pesticides such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in their food chain. The Missouri Department of Conservation said in a news release that the birds were removed from the federal endangered species list in 1999 but have remained on the state list.
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Black Rhinoceros Born in Garden City Zoo
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) — A rare black rhinoceros has been born in captivity at the Lee Richardson Zoo in Garden City. The zoo says in a news release that the male rhino was born Wednesday to 10-year-old Johari and her 7-year-old mate Jabari. The pair were moved from zoos in Cleveland and Atlanta in 2016 as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Eastern Black Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan. A news release from the zoo says mother and baby will be kept indoors for bonding and until weather conditions are appropriate for them to venture outside. Eastern black rhinos are native to eastern Africa and are listed as critically endangered.
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KC Chiefs Headed Back to Super Bowl After Beating Buffalo Bills, Winning AFC Championship
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) - The Kansas City Chiefs are headed back to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row. The Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills 38-24 in Kansas City Sunday evening. Quarterback Josh Allen and his Bills fell short in making their first AFC championship game appearance in 27 years, losing to the defending champion Chiefs. Buffalo's bend-but-don't-break defense wilted in squandering a 9-0 lead by giving up three touchdowns over the span of 10:04 in the second quarter. After taking the lead, the Chiefs never looked back. Allen simply couldn't keep up. The Bills fell a win short of returning to the Super Bowl for the first time since their run of four straight appearances — and losses — ended in 1994.
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KPR's daily headlines are generally posted by 10 am weekdays and updated throughout the day. KPR's weekend summary is usually published by 1 pm Saturdays and Sundays.